15 Best Things to Do in Helsingborg (Sweden)

A port city on the Sound, Helsingborg is on Sweden’s Lund Peninsula across the water from its Danish counterpart Helsingør. Denmark is almost close enough to touch and Helsingborg was controlled by the Danes up to the Treaty of Roskilde in the 17th century.

Kärnan is a medieval castle tower, harking back to when the Danes and Swedes were at war, while Sankta Maria Kyrka is a fine Gothic church loaded with decoration from the middle ages. As with any self-respecting city, Helsingborg has a fabulous open-air museum, Fredriksdal and many acres of lush parkland. Some of which is occupied by Sofiero, a former royal residence. In this clean, well-looked-after coastal city you’ll have the pleasure of seaside promenades and bathing on warmer days.

Let’s explore the best things to do in Helsingborg:

1. Fredriksdal

The County of Skåne has been condensed into 36 hectares at this rambling outdoor museum for a complete introduction to Scandinavian culture and history.

The subjects covered are wide-ranging and laced with botanical plantations from across the county: There’s an arable farm, herb gardens, kitchen gardens, a rose garden with hundreds of varieties and a great deal more.

There’s also loads of built heritage from the 18th and 19th centuries that has been moved here piece by piece, hosting little museums and workshops.

All this is around a stately home from 1787 bordered by French and English parks: And in these grounds is the Fredriksdal Theatre, opened in 1932 and billed as one of Europe’s most beautiful outdoor theatres.

2. Kärnan

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Kärnan

An enduring symbol for Helsingborg, this tower on high ground behind the centre of the city is one of the last pieces left of the city’s castle.

It was built by the Danes in the 1300s and during the stormy 17th century was in a tug of war between the two states.

After it definitively landed in Swedish hands in 1679 the castle was demolished as it was difficult to defend, leaving only this 34-metre keep.

The tower then became an important seamark for ships navigating the Sound.

There’s an audio-guide included in entry and you can ascend the tower’s 146 steps to look across the water to Helsingør.

3. Tropikariet

This indoor zoo is quite unlike any animal attraction you’ll have seen before.

You’ll walk through synthesised tropical environments inhabited by the likes of meerkats, lemurs and pygmy marmosets (the world’s smallest monkey), which are free to go where they choose.

If you sign up for special experience you can interact with lemurs and feed them, or handle a snake or crocodile, supervised by qualified zoo staff.

Tropikariet also has nocturnal zones housing bats, terrariums with leaf-cutter ants and sharks in its aquarium.

After this animal adventure you can wrap your visit up at the cafe and gift shop.

4. Sofiero

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Sofiero

There are regular buses out to this plush royal house and gardens five kilometres north of the city.

This Neo-Renaissance palace was built in stages in the 1860s and 1870s by Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden and his wife Sopia of Nassau.

The way the castle and grounds look today is down to Gustaf VI Adolf and Crown Princess Margaret, who received the palace as a wedding gift in 1905. They refurbished the building, but also planted the glorious rhododendron bushes, which are a signature of the gardens.

There are just shy of 500 different varieties in here, along with contemporary art installations.

The palace itself has a restaurant and cafe, and is sometimes used for exhibitions.

5. Sankta Maria Kyrka

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Sankta Maria Kyrka

Begun in the Romanesque style in the 12th century, this church in the centre of Helsingborg was one of the largest in Denmark by the 14th century.

The Romanesque design was reworked into Gothic in the 1500s, when the brick facade and crow-stepped gables were completed.

There are a lot of engrossing historic elements inside, like the baptismal font, carved from grey Gotland limestone in the 1300s.

The altar cabinet is a real marvel and is from around the same time, with images from the life of Mary and Jesus on its doors.

During December these change to show scenes from the nativity.

6. Tura

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Tura

This is a concept that is almost unique to Helsingborg.

“Tura” is a basically a cruise on a Sandlines ferry across the Sound to Helsingør.

But passengers doing a Tura won’t disembark at the Danish city and instead will remain on board for the round trip.

As the crossing only takes around 20 minutes, a Tura is a chance to sit down at the ship’s restaurant and take in the sea views at leisure.

People book well in advance at more popular periods like Christmas and the height of summer, and at these times the beer or champagne flows liberally.

7. Dunkers Kulturhus

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Dunkers Kulturhus

In a white building that takes design cues from Renaissance castles, this cultural centre is many things rolled into one.

The Kulturhus opened in 1997 with the intention of fostering creativity and culture in the city.

If you’re just popping by there’s a permanent exhibition about the history of Helsingborg, and the city’s tourist office is also here.

There are also temporary exhibitions curated for all manner of topics, but mainly anchored in art and photography.

The Kulturhus also has a theatre, concert hall, a restaurant and art studios for Helsingborg’s next generation of creators.

8. Ramlösa Brunnspark

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Ramlösa Brunnspark

For a walk in an elegant environment you can come to this former health resort at the southern limits of the city.

You may know the name Ramlösa from the mineral water brand, and this park is the site of the original spring.

In the 18th and 19th century, nobility, industrialists and royalty flocked to the resort to drink the waters renowned for their high iron content.

You can try it for yourself, and see how the iron has dyed the sandstone around the main well red.

Dispersed around the woodland are the beautiful 19th-century spa facilities, counting villas, the hospital and bathing house, now all private residences now.

9. Rådhuset

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Rådhuset

Helsingborg’s city hall is a working municipal building so you can’t ordinarily go inside.

The only exceptions are for weddings on weekends, and if you do get the chance to see the interior the stained-glass panels in the city council hall are delightful.

For everyone else it’s a sight to take in from the street, and one of Helsingborg’s big landmarks.

The building went up during the 1890s, following a design competition won by Alfred Hellerström who was just 26 years old at the time.

It’s a brick Neo-Gothic building capped by a 65-metre bell tower.

Outside are two stone memorials, one Norwegian and one Danish, thanking Helsingborg for its efforts to take in refugees fleeing the Germans during the Second World War.

11. Norra Hamnen

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Norra Hamnen

Just west of the city centre, Helsingborg’s harbour was built in 1891 and its opening was attended by King Oscar II. It was a key shipping port up to the 1960s when the container terminal at Sydhamnen rendered it obsolete.

From the 1980s plans were put in place to revitalise the waterfront, and H99 here in the build up to the millenium was a housing fair showcasing cutting-edge residential developments that line the waterfront today.

In summer, Norra Hamnen is somewhere to wander by the sea, admiring the carpet of yachts in the marina and kicking back at a cafe table for a few minutes.